UC Riverside freshman enrollment slips

by Steven Cuevas

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Students near the Bourns College of Engineering building at the University of California, Riverside Courtesy University of California, Riverside

Fewer Californians are enrolling at University of California campuses. Enrollment is down about 2-percent among California students according to UC’s latest admission data. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas says the number of incoming freshman over the last year has also slipped further at UC Riverside.

Enrollment is down 14-percent over last year when UCR’s fall freshman class boasted more than 18-thousand students. UCR says the number of applications is actually increasing, but says more rigorous admission standards are making it harder for some students to gain admission.

System wide, University of California officials say escalating tuition fees and the recession are also helping drive down admission rates at UC campuses. However, UCR continues to draw large numbers of students from colleges out-of-state and abroad. Non-resident enrollment is up 56-percent. Out of state students pay roughly 23-thousand dollars more per year at UC schools than their Californian counterparts. On top of a smaller incoming freshman class, UCR is staring down a 50-million dollar budget shortfall, triggered in part by slashes to state funding. That could lead to widespread program cuts and layoffs.